BREAKING NEWS SUNDAY: BUSH TELLS BRITISH PM NOT TO PULL TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ

President Bush is in Great Britain and the Observer in Britain is reporting Bush has told British Prime Minister Gordon Brown not to pull the remaining 4,000 British troops out of Iraq.

Bush warns Brown over premature Iraq withdrawal: report

Sat Jun 14, 6:55 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080614/pl_afp/britainmilitaryiraqusbush

LONDON (AFP) - Britain should not jeopardise coalition gains in Iraq by withdrawing its troops prematurely, US President George W. Bush said in an interview with The Observer newspaper published Sunday.

Newspaper reports here this week suggested Prime Minister Gordon Brown could soon announce a final timetable for the withdrawal of its remaining 4,000 or so troops from southern Iraq by the end of the year.

Brown told his monthly news conference that he hoped to make a statement to parliament before it breaks for the summer recess next month.

But Bush, who arrives in London Sunday from Paris, said that while he recognised the pressure in both the United States and Britain for such a draw-down, it could only be "based upon success".

"Our answer is: there is should be no definitive timetable," he told the weekly.
"I am confident that he, like me, will listen to our commanders to make sure that the sacrifices that have gone forward won't be unravelled by draw-downs that may not be warranted at this point in time," he said.

"I look forward to discussing it with him."

Bush and his wife, Laura, meet Brown and his wife, Sarah, for dinner at Downing Street Sunday evening following afternoon tea with Queen Elizabeth II at her Windsor Castle residence west of London.

The two leaders then go into meetings Monday morning before visiting Northern Ireland.
It is the first time Brown has met Bush as prime minister on British soil and he faces a likely vocal demonstration by anti-war campaigners opposed to British and US involvement in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

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